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  • H01L29/00—Semiconductor devices specially adapted for rectifying, amplifying, oscillating or switching and having potential barriers; Capacitors or resistors having potential barriers, e.g. a PN-junction depletion layer or carrier concentration layer; Details of semiconductor bodies or of electrodes thereof ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
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  • H01L29/86—Types of semiconductor device ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor controllable only by variation of the electric current supplied, or only the electric potential applied, to one or more of the electrodes carrying the current to be rectified, amplified, oscillated or switched
  • H01L29/861—Diodes
  • H01L29/872—Schottky diodes
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  • H01L29/76—Unipolar devices, e.g. field effect transistors
  • H01L29/772—Field effect transistors
  • H01L29/78—Field effect transistors with field effect produced by an insulated gate
  • H01L29/7801—DMOS transistors, i.e. MISFETs with a channel accommodating body or base region adjoining a drain drift region
  • H01L29/7802—Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors
  • H01L29/7813—Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors with trench gate electrode, e.g. UMOS transistors
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  • H01L29/66409—Unipolar field-effect transistors
  • H01L29/66477—Unipolar field-effect transistors with an insulated gate, i.e. MISFET
  • H01L29/66674—DMOS transistors, i.e. MISFETs with a channel accommodating body or base region adjoining a drain drift region
  • H01L29/66712—Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors
  • H01L29/66727—Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors with a step of recessing the source electrode
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  • H01L29/66409—Unipolar field-effect transistors
  • H01L29/66477—Unipolar field-effect transistors with an insulated gate, i.e. MISFET
  • H01L29/66674—DMOS transistors, i.e. MISFETs with a channel accommodating body or base region adjoining a drain drift region
  • H01L29/66712—Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors
  • H01L29/66734—Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors with a step of recessing the gate electrode, e.g. to form a trench gate electrode
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  • H01L29/66—Types of semiconductor device ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
  • H01L29/68—Types of semiconductor device ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor controllable by only the electric current supplied, or only the electric potential applied, to an electrode which does not carry the current to be rectified, amplified or switched
  • H01L29/76—Unipolar devices, e.g. field effect transistors
  • H01L29/772—Field effect transistors
  • H01L29/78—Field effect transistors with field effect produced by an insulated gate
  • H01L29/7801—DMOS transistors, i.e. MISFETs with a channel accommodating body or base region adjoining a drain drift region
  • H01L29/7802—Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors
  • H01L29/7803—Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors structurally associated with at least one other device
  • H01L29/7806—Vertical DMOS transistors, i.e. VDMOS transistors structurally associated with at least one other device the other device being a Schottky barrier diode
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  • H01L29/02—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
  • H01L29/06—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor characterised by their shape; characterised by the shapes, relative sizes, or dispositions of the semiconductor regions ; characterised by the concentration or distribution of impurities within semiconductor regions
  • H01L29/0684—Semiconductor bodies ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor characterised by their shape; characterised by the shapes, relative sizes, or dispositions of the semiconductor regions ; characterised by the concentration or distribution of impurities within semiconductor regions characterised by the shape, relative sizes or dispositions of the semiconductor regions or junctions between the regions
  • H01L29/0692—Surface layout
  • H01L29/0696—Surface layout of cellular field-effect devices, e.g. multicellular DMOS transistors or IGBTs
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  • H01L29/40—Electrodes ; Multistep manufacturing processes therefor
  • H01L29/402—Field plates
  • H01L29/407—Recessed field plates, e.g. trench field plates, buried field plates

Definitions

• the present invention relates in general to semiconductor power device technology, and in particular to structures and methods for forming a monolithically integrated trench gate field effect transistor (FET) and Schottky diode.
• FET trench gate field effect transistor
• dc/dc converters In today's electronic devices it is common to find the use of multiple power supply ranges. For example, in some applications, central processing units are designed to operate with a different supply voltage at a particular time depending on the computing load. Consequently, dc/dc converters have proliferated in electronics to satisfy the wide ranging power supply needs of the circuitry. Common dc/dc converters utilize high efficiency switches typically implemented by power MOSFETs. The power switch is controlled to deliver regulated quanta of energy to the load using, for example, a pulse width modulated (PWM) methodology.
• PWM pulse width modulated
• FIG. 1 shows a circuit schematic for a conventional dc/dc converter.
• a PWM controller 100 drives the gate terminals of a pair of power MOSFETs Ql and Q2 to regulate the delivery of charge to the load.
• MOSFET switch Q2 is used in the circuit as a synchronous rectifier. In order to avoid shoot-through current, both switches must be off simultaneously before one of them is turned on. During this "dead time," the internal diode of each MOSFET switch, commonly referred to as body diode, can conduct current. Unfortunately the body diode has relatively high forward voltage and energy is wasted. To improve the conversion efficiency of the circuit, a Schottky diode 102 is often externally added in parallel with the MOSFET (Q2) body diode.
• Q2 MOSFET
• Schottky diode 102 effectively replaces the MOSFET body diode.
• the lower forward voltage of the Schottky diode results in improved power consumption.
• the Schottky diode was implemented external to the MOSFET switch package. More recently, some manufacturers have introduced products in which discrete Schottky diodes are co-packaged with discrete power MOSFET devices. There have also been monolithic implementations of power MOSFETs with Schottky diode. An example of a conventional monolithically integrated trench MOSFET and Schottky diode is shown in Fig. 2.
• a Schottky diode 210 is formed between two trenches 200-3 and 200-4 surrounded by trench MOSFET cells on either side.
• N-type substrate 202 forms the cathode terminal of Schottky diode 210 as well as the drain terminal of the trench MOSFET.
• Conductive layer 218 provides the diode anode terminal and also serves as the source interconnect layer for MOSFET cells.
• the gate electrode in trenches 200-1 , 200-2, 200-3, 200-4 and 200-5 are connected together in a third dimension and are therefore similarly driven.
• the trench MOSFET cells further include body regions 208 with source region 212 and heavy body regions 214 therein.
• the Schottky diodes in Fig. 2 are interspersed between trench MOSFET cells. As a result, the Schottky diodes consume a significant portion of the active area, resulting in lower current ratings or a large die size. There is therefore a need for a monolithically and densely integrated Schottky diode and trench gate FET with superior performance characteristics.
• a monolithically integrated trench FET and Schottky diode includes a pair of trenches terminating in a first silicon region of first conductivity type. Two body regions of a second conductivity type separated by a second silicon region of the first conductivity type are located between the pair of trenches. A source region of the first conductivity type is located over each body region. A contact opening extends between the pair of trenches to a depth below the source regions. An interconnect layer fills the contact opening so as to electrically contact the source regions and the second silicon region. Where the interconnect layer electrically contacts the second silicon region, a Schottky contact is formed.
• the first silicon region has a higher doping concentration that the second silicon region.
• each body region vertically extends between a corresponding source region and the first silicon region, and the interconnect layer electrically contacts the second silicon region at a depth along the bottom half of the body regions.
• each of the two body regions has a substantially uniform doping concentration.
• a heavy body region of the second conductivity type is formed between the pair of trenches such that the heavy body region electrically contacts each of the two body regions and the second silicon region.
• the two body regions, the source regions, and the heavy body region are self-aligned to the pair of trenches.
• the two body regions and the second silicon region have substantially the same depth.
• a monolithically integrated trench FET and Schottky diode is formed as follows. Two trenches are formed extending through an upper silicon layer and terminating within a lower silicon layer. The upper and lower silicon layers have a first conductivity type, and the upper silicon layer extends over the lower silicon layer. First and second silicon regions of a second conductivity type are formed in the upper silicon layer between the pair of trenches. A third silicon region of the first conductivity type is formed extending into the first and second silicon regions between the pair of trenches such that remaining lower portions of the first and second silicon regions form two body regions separated by a portion of the upper silicon layer.
• a silicon etch is performed to form a contact opening extending through the first silicon region such that outer portions of the first silicon region remain.
• the outer portions of the first silicon region form source regions.
• An interconnect layer is formed filling the contact opening so as to electrically contact the source regions and the portion of the upper silicon layer. Where the interconnect layer electrically contacts the second silicon region, a Schottky contact is formed.
• the lower silicon layer has a higher doping concentration that the upper silicon layer.
• the electrical contact between the interconnect layer and the portion of the upper silicon layer is made at a depth below the source regions.
• each of the first and second regions has a substantially uniform doping concentration.
• a heavy body region of the second conductivity type is formed between the pair of trenches.
• the heavy body region extends into the two body regions and into the portion of the upper silicon layer.
• the two body regions, the source regions, and the heavy body region are self-aligned to the pair of trenches.
• Fig. 1 is a circuit schematic for a conventional dc/dc converter using power MOSFETs with a Schottky diode;
• FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a conventional monolithically integrated trench MOSFET and Schottky diode
• FIG. 3 is an exemplary simplified isometric view of a portion of an array of stripe- shaped cells each having a trench MOSFET and a Schottky diode integrated therein, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention
• Fig. 4 shows a cross-section view along heavy body regions 326 in Fig. 3;
• FIG. 5 is a simplified cross section view showing an alternate implementation of the heavy body region to that shown in Figs 3 and 4, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention
• FIGs. 6A-6F are simplified cross section views illustrating an exemplary process sequence for forming the monolithically integrated trench MOSFET and Schottky diode shown in Fig. 3, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• Figs. 7A-7C show simulated avalanche current flow lines for three different dimple depths in a monolithically integrated trench MOSFET and Schottky diode structure.
• a Schottky diode is optimally integrated with a trench MOSFET in a single cell repeated many times in an array of such cells. Minimal to no active area is sacrificed in integrating the Schottky diode, yet the total Schottky diode area is large enough to handle 100% of the diode forward conduction. The MOSFET body diode thus never turns on, eliminating reverse recovery losses. Further, because of Schottky diode's lower forward voltage drop compared to that of the MOSFET body diode, power losses are reduced.
• the Schottky diode is integrated with the MOSFET such that the Schottky contact is formed below the MOSFET source regions. This advantageously diverts the avalanche current away from the source regions toward the Schottky regions, preventing the parasitic bipolar transistor from turning on. The device ruggedness is thus improved.
• This feature of the invention also eliminates, for the most part, the need for heavy body regions typically required in each MOSFET cell of prior art structures to prevent the parasitic bipolar transistor from turning on. Instead, islands of heavy body regions are incorporated intermittently and far apart from one another merely to ensure good source metal to body region contact. In essence, the heavy body regions required in prior art trench MOSFETs are, for the most part, replaced with Schottky diode. Accordingly, no additional silicon area is allocated to the Schottky diode.
• Fig. 3 is an exemplary simplified isometric view of a portion of an array of stripe- shaped cells each having a trench MOSFET and a Schottky diode integrated therein, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
• a highly doped N-type (N+) region 302 overlies an N-type silicon substrate (not shown) which has an even higher doping concentration (N++) than N+ region 302.
• a plurality of trenches 304 extend to a predetermined depth within N+ region 302.
• a shield electrode 305 and an overlying gate electrode 308 are embedded in each trench 304.
• shield electrodes 305 and gate electrodes 308 comprise polysilicon.
• An inter-electrode dielectric 310 insulates the gate and shield electrodes from one another.
• Shield dielectric layer 312 lines lower sidewalls and bottom of each trench 304, and insulates shield electrodes 305 from surrounding N+ region 302.
• a gate dielectric 316 which is thinner than shield dielectric 312, lines the upper sidewalls of trenches 304.
• a dielectric cap 314 extends over each gate electrode 308.
• shield electrodes 305 are electrically connected to source regions along a third dimension, and thus are biased to the same potential as the source regions during operation. In other embodiments, shield electrodes 305 are electrically tied to gate electrodes 308 along a third dimension, or are allowed to float.
• Two P-type body regions 318 separated by a lightly doped N-type (N-) region 320 are located between every two adjacent trenches 304. Each body region 318 extends along one trench sidewall. In the various embodiments shown in the figures and described herein, body regions 318 and N- region 320 have substantially the same depth, however body regions 318 may be slightly shallower or deeper than N- region 320 and vice versa without any significant impact on the device operation.
• a highly doped N-type source region 322 is located directly above each body region 318. Source regions 322 vertically overlap gate electrode 308, and possess a rounded outer profile due to the presence of dimples 324 forming contact openings.
• Each dimple 324 extends below corresponding source regions 322 between every two adjacent trenches. As shown, source regions 322 and body regions 318 together form the rounded sidewalls of dimples 324, and N- regions 320 extend along the bottom of dimples 324.
• N+ region 302 is an N+ epitaxial layer
• N- regions 320 are portions of an N- epitaxial layer in which body regions 318 and source regions 322 are formed.
• a Schottky barrier metal 330 which is peeled back in Fig. 3 to expose the underlying regions, fills dimples 324 and extends over dielectric caps 314. Schottky barrier metal 330 electrically contacts N- regions 320 along the bottom of dimples 324, thus forming a Schottky contact. Schottky barrier metal 330 also serves as the top-side source interconnect, electrically contacting source regions 322 and heavy body regions 326.
• the depletion regions formed at each body/N- junction advantageously merge in N- region 320 thus fully depleting N- region 320 beneath the
• Islands of heavy body regions 326 are formed intermittently along the cell stripes, as shown. Heavy body regions 326 extend through N- regions 320. This is more clearly shown in Fig. 4 which is a cross-section view through heavy body regions 326 of the structure in Fig. 3. The cross section view in Fig. 4 is, for the most part, similar to the cross section view along the face of the isometric view in Fig. 3 except that in Fig. 4 the two source regions between every two adjacent trenches are replaced with one contiguous heavy body region 326 extending through N- regions 320. Heavy body regions 326 provide ohmic contact between source metal 330 and body regions 318. Because heavy body regions 326 extend through N- regions 320, no Schottky diode is formed in these regions. No MOSFET current flows in these regions either, because of the absence of source regions.
• Fig. 5 is a simplified cross section view showing an alternate implementation of the heavy body region to that in Figs. 3 and 4, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
• heavy body regions 526 extend only along a bottom portion of each dimple 524 such that source regions 522 are kept intact. Thus, MOSFET current does flow in these regions, but heavy body regions 526 prevent Schottky barrier metal 430 from contacting N- regions 310 and thus no Schottky diode is formed in these regions.
• the intermittent placing of heavy body regions 326 differs from conventional implementations where heavy body regions extend along the entire length of the cell stripes between two adjacent source regions as in the prior art Fig. 2 structure.
• the placement frequency of heavy body regions 326 along the stripes is dictated by the device switching requirements. For faster switching devices, heavy body regions are placed more frequently along the stripes. For these devices, additional silicon area may need to be allocated to Schottky diode (e.g., by increasing the cell pitch). For slower switching devices, fewer heavy body regions are required along the stripes. For these devices, placing a heavy body region at each end of a stripe may suffice, thus maximizing the Schottky diode area.
• Figs. 6A-6F are simplified cross section views illustrating an exemplary process sequence for forming the integrated MOSFET-Schottky structure in Fig. 3, according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• two epitaxial layers 602 and 620 overlying a silicon substrate are formed using conventional techniques.
• Epitaxial layer 620 which is a lightly doped N-type layer (N-) extends over epitaxial layer 620 which is a highly doped N-type layer (N+).
• a hard mask e.g., comprising oxide
• openings 606, which define the trench width are about 0.3 ⁇ m each, and the width of each hard mask island 601 is in the range of 0.4-0.8 ⁇ m. These dimensions define the cell pitch within which the MOSFET and Schottky diode are formed. Factors impacting these dimensions include the capabilities of the photolithographic equipment and the design and performance goals.
• trenches 603 terminating within N- epi 620 are formed by etching silicon through openings 606 using conventional silicon etch techniques.
• trenches 603 have a depth of about 1 ⁇ m.
• a conventional selective epitaxial growth (SEG) process is then used to grow highly doped P-type (P+) silicon regions 618 A within each trench 603.
• P+ silicon region 618 A has a doping concentration of about 5xlO 17 cm "3 .
• a thin layer of high- quality silicon lining the sidewalls and bottom of trenches 608 is formed prior to forming P+ regions 618. The thin silicon layer serves as an undamaged silicon surface suitable for growth of the P+ silicon.
• a diffusion process is performed to diffuse the p-type dopants into P+ region 618 A into N- epi 620.
• Out-diffused P+ regions 618B extending laterally under hard mask islands 601 and downward into N- epi 620 are thus formed.
• Multiple thermal cycles may be carried out to achieve the desired out-diffusion.
• the dotted lines in Fig. 6C show the outline of trenches 603. This diffusion process, as well as other thermal cycles in the process, causes N+ epi 602 to diffuse upward. These upward diffusions of N+ epi 602 need to be accounted for in selecting the thickness of N- epi 620.
• trenches 604 are formed using hard mask islands 601 , using hard mask islands 601 , a deep trench etch process is performed to form trenches 604 extending through P+ regions 618B and N- epi 620, terminating in N+ epi 602. hi one embodiment, trenches 604 have a depth of about 2 ⁇ m. The trench etch process cuts through and removes a central portion of each P+ silicon region 618B, leaving vertically outer P+ strips 618C extending along trench sidewalls.
• P+ strips 618C are formed using a two- pass angled implant instead of the SEG technique depicted by Figs. 6B-6D, as described next.
• Fig. 6B after forming trenches 603 through mask openings 606, P-type dopants such as boron are implanted into opposing trench sidewalls using conventional two-pass angled implant techniques.
• Hard mask islands 604 serve as blocking structures during the implantation process to prevent the implant ions from entering the mesa regions and to confine the location of the implanted ions to the desired regions in N- epi 620. To arrive at the structure shown in Fig.
• a second trench etch is carried out to extend the depth of trenches 603 into N+ epi 602.
• only one trench etch (rather than two) is performed as follows.
• a trench etch is carried out to form trenches extending into N+ epi 602 to about the same depth as trenches 604 in Fig. 6D.
• a two-pass angled implant is then carried out to implant P-type dopants into opposing trench sidewalls. The implant angle and the thickness of hard mask islands 601 are adjusted to define upper trench sidewall regions that are to receive the implant ions.
• a shielded gate structure is formed in trenches 604 using known techniques.
• a shield dielectric 612 lining lower sidewalls and bottom of trenches 604 is formed.
• Shield electrodes 605 are then formed filling a lower portion of trenches 604.
• An inter-electrode dielectric layer 610 is then formed over shield electrode 605.
• a gate dielectric 616 lining upper trench sidewalls is then formed.
• gate dielectric 616 is formed in an earlier stage of the process.
• Recessed gate electrodes 608 are formed filling an upper portion of trenches 604.
• Dielectric cap regions 614 extend over gate electrodes 608 and fill the remainder of trenches 604.
• N-type dopants are implanted into all exposed silicon regions followed by a drive in process, thereby forming N+ regions 622A.
• No mask is used in the active region in forming N+ regions 622A.
• the various thermal cycles associated with forming the shielded gate structure and the N+ regions 622 A cause P-type regions 618C to out-diffuse thereby forming wider and taller body regions 618D.
• these thermal cycles also cause N+ epi 602 to diffuse upward as depicted in Fig. 6E. It is important to ensure that upon completion of the manufacturing process, the two body regions between every two adjacent trenches remain spaced apart and do not merge, otherwise the Schottky diode is eliminated.
• Another goal in designing the process is to ensure that N- epi 620 and body region 618D after completion of the process have substantially the same depth, although slightly different depths would not be fatal to the operation of the device.
• These goals can be achieved by adjusting a number of the process steps and parameters including the thermal cycles, the depth of the first trench recess (Fig. 6B), and doping concentration of various regions including the body regions, the N- epi region and the N+ epi region.
• a dimple etch process is performed to etch through N+ regions 622 A such that outer portions 622B of N+ regions 622A are preserved.
• the preserved outer portions 622A form the source region.
• a dimple 624 is thus formed between every two adjacent trench. Dimples 624 form contact openings extending below source regions 622B and into N- regions 620.
• "Dimple etch" as used in this disclosure refers to silicon etch techniques which result in formation of silicon regions with sloped, rounded outer profiles as do source regions 622B in Fig. 6F.
• the dimples extend to a depth within the bottom half of body regions 618D.
• a deeper dimple results in formation of a Schottky contact below the source regions. This helps divert reverse avalanche current away from the source, thus preventing the parasitic bipolar transistor from turning on.
• a mask is used to define a central portion of N+ regions 622 A that is etched through to the desired depth. Outer portions of N+ regions 622 A extending under such a mask are thus preserved. These outer regions form the source regions.
• a masking layer P-type dopants are implanted into the dimple region intermittently along each stripe. Islands of heavy body regions (not shown) are thus formed between every two adjacent trench. If the heavy body implementation of Fig. 4 is desired, a high enough dosage of P-type dopants need to be used during the heavy body implant in order to counter-dope those portions of the source regions where the heavy body regions are to be formed. If the heavy body implementation of Fig. 5 is desired, a lower dosage of P-type dopants needs to be used during the implant so that the source regions are not counter-doped and thus remain intact. [0047J In Fig. 6F, conventional techniques can be used to form a Schottky barrier metal 630 over the structure. Schottky barrier metal 630 fills dimples 624, and where metal 630 comes in electrical contact with N- regions 620, a Schottky diode is formed. Metal layer 630 also contacts source regions 622B and the heavy body regions.
• the integrated MOSFET-Schottky structure has many vertical and horizontal self-aligned features.
• the above-described process embodiments enable reduction of the channel length.
• Conventional processes utilize an implant and drive technique to form the body regions. This technique results in a tapered doping profile in the channel region requiring a longer channel length.
• the above- described alternate techniques of selective epitaxial growth and two-pass angled implant for forming the body regions provide a uniform doping profile in the channel region, thus allowing a shorter channel length to be used. The on-resistance of the device is thus improved.
• Vth MOSFET threshold voltage
• body regions 618 in N- epi 618 which compared to N+ epi 602 exhibits a far more consistent and predictable doping concentration. Forming body regions in a background region with a predictable doping concentration allows tighter control over the threshold voltage.
• shielded electrodes 605 extending into N+ epi 602 allows use of a higher doping concentration in N+ epi 602 for the same breakdown voltage. A lower on-resistance is thus obtained for the same breakdown voltage and without adversely impacting control over the MOSFET threshold voltage.
• Figs. 7A-7C show simulated avalanche current flow lines for three different dimple depths in an integrated trench MOSFET-Schottky diode structure.
• dimple 729A extends to a depth just below source region 722.
• dimple 729B extends deeper to about one half the height of body region 718.
• dimple 729C extends even deeper to just above the bottom of body region 718.
• a gap appears in the top metal 730. This gap was included only for simulation purposes, and in practice, no such gap would be present in the top metal as is evident from the other figures in this disclosure.
• avalanche current flow lines 732 A are in close proximity to source region 722. However, as the dimple depth is increased in Fig. 7B and yet deeper in Fig. 7C, avalanche current flow lines 732B and 732C are shifted further away from source region 722 toward the Schottky region. The diversion of avalanche current away from the source region helps prevent the parasitic bipolar transistor from turning on, and thus improves the ruggedness of the device. In essence, the Schottky region acts like a heavy body region in collecting the avalanche current, thus eliminating the need for heavy body region for this purpose.
• Heavy body regions would still be required to obtain a good contact to the body region, but the frequency and size of the heavy body regions can be significantly reduced compared to conventional MOSFET structures. This frees up a large silicon area which is allocated to the Schottky diode.
• dimples which extend to a depth within the bottom half of body region 718 provide optimum results.

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